Baba Yaga

What??? Find a Tsuba which you like, matches, or whatever and have a craftsmen fit it to your sword.

The tip of what, Kissaki, or Nakago? Im assuming the Kissaki? Many swords were in fires, but that's another assumption? Could be a crack, can't tell with photos. The Kissaki tells all and the most assuming.

Don't be surprised, this an example of a favor owed, With the Yen at -30% we will see many examples of not making "cents"

That's really I'm sure the National Museum in Japan is in with one of the Universities and can do metallurgical date testing. Tokyo has a very advanced testing center. Wonder why that don't

Pg205 states wrought Iron started in the 1400-1500. Just because it's written by one source doesn't make it right, but it is written. If we can find 2 other sources then it "could be" considered a fact.

Yep, I'm a purist. I collect many items, Guns, Swords, Coins, Vases, Woodblock, Watches, Cars, etc. If I collect it, it's been knocked off by the masses. In most cases , rarer just means better knockoffs. I can empathize, but that's the poison we swallow.

Did your friend tell you that GM engine blocks , transmissions, alternators were made from cast and are still today. I wouldn't exactly say something which is propelled by an explosive atomized gas for 10's of thousands of miles pooop. Now days Rolex watches are 3d printed.

Thanks! I'm not sure when casting started, or why "some" collectors believe casting is inferior to forging. Especially, for the facts we're discussing a hand guard. What is a fact, their are good casting and poor castings of late and of far. The one presented is obviously of poor quality, and that's about as specific as one with collectors knowledge can "assume". After looking at what's good, one can make an educated assumption on what's not.

Can you please provide the names of those experts, or is the word used loosely?

Japanese news paper soaks up saya moisture and oil very well. I can't count how many people have found and scratched there heads,

That should tell the logical person something.

Once again, this conversation is all over the place. "IF" someone wants to do this and that's a big "IF". This isn't some assembly line which to put in an order. It's one master and one apprentice working. You'd be looking at 2 years waiting time for a true master. Some ShintoShinto blade is going to be a NO GUARENTEE. Id visit the 3 big sword dealer and see what they have, or what they could broker.

"So here is a question - Is it considered appropriate to apply new horimono to older blades?" Why would would you do this? Why not buy a sword with horimono on it already??? If you're visiting Japan, lots of cherries are low hanging.

1.Why are you on ebay? 2. Why are you on ebay? 3. Why are you on ebay?

Check out the faces against other Soten works. Appears a little rough Imo

Isn't that interesting. I sent a photo of that exact same Tsuba to Jim Gibert a few decades ago as he was doing research on cast. At the time I picked up a few of them for dirt cheap, thought they were Meji.

I'm not on anyone's side, but the side of free thought. I'm really not a Tsuba collector but, enjoyed the information brought about by both sides of this discussion. Someplace in-between could be good answers. I said could, not is. When a person brings the super decoder ring into the conversation they lose me. Notice I use the word "I",

Good video! Explains why I've seen broken Yari Nakago and the enhancement of the collar.

Fires in Edo (江戸), the former name of Tokyo, during the Edo period (1600−1868) of Japan were so frequent that the city of Edo was characterized as the saying "Fires and quarrels are the flowers of Edo"[note 1] goes.[1] Even in the modern days, the old Edo was still remembered as the "City of Fires" (火災都市).[2] WW2 Fires in Japan??? Information was lost, a lot of information was lost. Writing pages of mental gymnastics about people wasting time, is in itself a waste of time. Maybe I should write a book about all the people who told me I was wasting time. It didn't work out so well for them Please keep researching and learning

I did a quick search of AOI in Japan and found A Dai and Sho in Shirasaya (NBTHK Tokubitsu Hozon Token) Tsushima Kami Tachibana Nyudo Tsunemitsu Also found Tsuba as Dai Sho and Unrelated papered smith swords with unsigned none papered match Koshirae as Dai Sho. Is the word Dai Sho the same meaning as Daisho in "collectors" terms?

This's like trying to discover ones own nationality and blood line before DNA testing. Until nondestructive scientific testing becomes the norm, it's best guess. I've seen many swords with papers have a 100 year history span attribution.

Tread lightly on the outliers, what is most common, is "sometimes" the most probable.

"He looked at me and said that looks more like "Sanmai", not a Hamon. My brain froze because I didn't know what that meant. I know basically what sanmai means. He said, "If they fold one steel around another steel and then hammer it out to a blade where the center steel is harder it's Sanmai. Sanmai blades don't have a 'true' Hamon." Looks like the "friend" watched a YouTub video which some self-proclaimed expert made Nihonto ( Making the Samurai Sword ) . It's really not his fault clinging to poor information.

I don't know much at all about Japanese Military Swords. I can ID if they are handmade, or not, if in hand. That's about as far as I can get.

This reminds me of collecting 69 Z28, or the Shelby 427 Cobra Roadster. Just because it looks like and acts like, doesn't make it so.